Its a small world
by ImogenHoney
Summary: Skye meets all the avengers before new york, before they are a team.
1. Barton

Clint Barton was not much for festivities. He had no family, having grown up in an orphanage. He had no religious belief, not after all he'd seen. But every Christmas, he went to a different orphanage, the back of his SUV packed with gifts. He still remembered how it was as a kid, seeing people at school, the bullies, the jocks, bragging about what they got for Christmas and not being able to understand why 'Santa' gave them phones and bikes while he got a tatty used action figure.  
>Earlier that week, he had showed up, at the orphanage and asked one of the nuns about the kids, what gifts they would have wanted, if money was no big deal. There were only 16 of them this year, and money really wasn't an issue. Shield issued apartments for field agents to share, as he wasn't there more often than not, so rent was taken care of, and the only expenses he paid for, didn't leave a dent in his pocket. He was a simple man.<p>

It was Christmas Day, and he could see the kids running around through the front window.  
>'Hi, welcome to Saint Agnes orphanage.' He was greeted once he reached the front door.<br>'Hey, I visited a few days ago, I have some donations for the kids, I know how it gets this time of year.'  
>The nun at the door beamed at him, pulling him into the warmth. He was offered a drink as he sat in the living room with the children. One by one, he presented each gift, reveling in the looks of pure joy as the young girls and boys unwrapped their presents.<br>'Okay, all that's left is Mary Sue,' he thought aloud.  
>He looked around the room but saw no one else without a gift. He glanced at one of the nuns, who with a sad look, gestured for him to follow her out the room.<br>'She was sent back yesterday, one of the many family's decided she wasn't worth the expense of gifts,' She said, brushing back tears of anger. 'She's a good kid, really, she just needs time.'

Clint nodded, before knocking at the closed door. He heard a grunt of admittance from inside. He pushed to door and saw to his surprise, a 16 year old brunette, throwing darts at a wall, with force. He had to hand it to her, she hit her mark.  
>'Hey, Mary Sue, my names Clint.'<br>'Its Skye,' the girl growled.  
>She's a feisty one, Clint thought.<br>'Okay Skye, umm, I have a gift for you.' Clint stammered, unsure how to proceed, not used to seeing a girl her age in a place like this, they were usually adopted by then, he thought sadly.  
>'I'm not here for your pity party, Clint. I'm not taking jack shit from you!'<br>Clint felt his heart clench at Skye's response. She reminded him of himself at that age, perpetually angry at the world, fierce but intelligent.  
>He looked around the room, before he saw the dart board again. Taped to the centre, was a picture, of a smiling family. 'Fine, I'll make you a deal, we play for it,' motioning to the board, 'if I win, you take the gift, no matter what it is, and if not, I'll leave without looking back. Deal?'<br>Skye gave him a calculating look.  
>Realising he wasn't going to leave till she either accepted the gift, or she won, she sighed and agreed.<p>

'Ladies first,' Clint said, handing four darts to skye. Skye took a deep breath, before throwing wash dart in quick succession. Each one hit the board with a dull thud, two breaching the inner circle, the other two hitting the second ring.  
>Grinning, satisfied, she handed Clint the darts.<br>Clint smiled at her and without even looking away from Skye, he threw each dart. All of which, hitting the bullseye.  
>Skye gawked at Clint, and before she could be inclined to accuse cheating, Clint reached into his bag and pulled out a new laptop. Skye looked at him in disbelief.<br>'How did you know?'  
>'The nuns told me about you hogging the clunky old desktop downstairs,' he told her with a grin.<br>Before Skye could stop herself, she lunged forward and hugged Clint.  
>Clint chuckled and hugged her back.<br>'I should really be going, I've got work tomorrow.'  
>Skye laughed, before following Clint downstairs. She watched as Clint said goodbye to the children, and much to the nuns satisfaction, she hugged him again before he left.<br>Skye raced back to her room and held her breath as she opened the new laptop as it came to life in her hands.

**~hey, i hope you liked chapter 1, if you have any comments or criticisms, my ears are open, just send a review.~**


	2. Stark

'Chug! Chug! Chug!'

Miles whooped, clapping Skye on the back. Skye grinned at the 3 guys she was drinking with, an empty beer in her hand.

'Okay, okay, who wants to play truth or dare?'

-**2 hours later-**

'Alright, Skye, truth or dare?'

She rolled her eyes before exclaiming,

'Dare!' having spent the whole game trying to one-up each other.

'I dare you... To.. To hack into Stark industries!'

'What! Are you kidding me?! That software was designed by Stark himself. I can't even walk straight!' Skye exclaimed.

'Fine, you will just have to live down for the rest of your life as a loser!'

'Ugh I hate you, Miles. I swear if I get arrested, you're paying bail money.'

Skye surveyed the entrance of SI from behind a car. They wouldn't let her in past the lobby, especially not at this time of night, without a pass, but she had to get in close enough to be able connect to the server.

Suddenly the answer came to her, quite literally. A mob of screaming women came rushing down the path from the road, following a smart man with a goatee. Tony Stark. Joining the crowd of  
>women, she entered the lobby. Everyone turned to the chaos that had just entered the building.<p>

'Ladies, please, there's enough of me to go around.'

Skye inwardly cringed at the cheesy one liner, before slipping into a back room, which turned out to be a cleaning closet. Perfect.  
>Skye sat herself on the floor, and opened her laptop, her most treasured possession.<p>

She began to type. All time lost it's meaning as she immersed herself in Starks defenses. It felt like no time  
>had passed when she finally gained access to Stark Industries files, a multimillion dollar organization, bent to her will beneath her fingertips. Suddenly, Skye had an idea, and typed for a few minutes, giggling as she did. Standing up to leave, she reached for the door, shoving her laptop in her bag, but as soon as she left the room, alarms sounded.<p>

Bars shot upwards in front of door, blocking the only exit.

Crap!

Skye heard the sound of a dozen guards running to the lobby, shouting at her to put her hands up.  
>Skye complied, terrified.<p>

'Stark will want to be informed of this, no one was supposed to be able to get in, it's ond in the morning, where did she come from?' the head guard said, not knowing Skye had never even stood past the lobby.

Skye watched the man turn to the screen and she froze. The guard turned pale as a sheet, seeing what Skye had done to the servers. On the background of every single page on the server, it showed one of the many drunken nude photos of Stark.

The guard reached for his phone, pressed speed dial 1, and raised it to his ear.  
>'Stark. Your going to want to come in for this. Trust me...see you in five. <p>

Skye sat in the empty room for what felt like an hour. Stark must have been trying to undo the hack. Skye grinned to herself smugly. It would take more than an hour to find any trace of her. Finally the door burst open.

'Good god woman, what did you do?'

Skye just winked, and smiled knowingly. Suddenly Stark was all up in her face.

'Tell me what you did.' He growled.

'Who are you working for. What information did you get?'

Skye couldn't take it anymore. She burst into giggles. Stark was nonplussed.

'Wha?! Is she-? Are you drunk?!' He questioned in disbelief.

Skye was screaming in mirth at this point. Somewhere at the back of her mind, Skye knew she should calm down, she was worsening her chance of getting of lightly, but the alcohol in her system clouded her judgement.

Tony pulled out Skyes wallet and found her drivers license.

'Jesus Christ, a drunk nineteen year old hacked into the most secure building in new york. How long was she in there?' he asked the head of security.

'2 hours, sir.' Without missing a beat, he countered,

'Hire her.'

The security stared at her in disbelief. 'B- But sir! She hacked into the building, she could be after anything!'

'Shes drunk, you can smell the alcohol from here, it was just a prank, trust me, I know how teenagers are. I want her, imagine what she could do sober!'

Skye had grown silent during the exchange, shocked at Starks words. Her mind had just about wrapped itself around what had just happened when she said

'Look, Starky, S-man, I'm not gunna deny your genius, i mean, that thing with Jerry... no, James, wai-'

'Jarvis,' Stark provided.

'Right! Jarvis, that was pure genius, but, no offense, you are a bit of a dick.'

Stark stared at her, in shock. 'What?!'

'The whole weapons thing, the profiting on death and destruction, in my books, that's a dick move. You could revolutionize the world of computer science, or medicine or anything.'

Stark narrowed his eyes, 'Okay, lets make a deal, you fix the holes in my system, and I will open a CS branch, a Medicine branch, hell, I'll even build the damn building an arc reactor. Just fix my system. All that and $10,000.

Skye narrowed her eyes until she saw he wasn't joking, she couldn't believe it. $10,000!

'Okay, I'll do it... But let me sober up first. I wont take your money for a half-assed job, I earn it.'

Tony splashed out that night, bought the penthouse suite at NY Four Seasons for Skye, because yeah, he bought the whole hotel! He had a chauffeur pick her up the next day, with the miracle hangover cure of a double bacon cheeseburger and a coffee, and was dropped off at SI.

She spent the next 2 days perfecting the system, while Stark supervised, partly to keep eye on his private files, but also to watch in awe, at skyes coding.

When she finally finished on the second day, stark persisted, 'Come work with me, I need you.'

Skye chuckled at Starks antics, happy to say that, over the past two days, they had become friends. 'Come on, Tony, that wasn't the plan, I'm just not comfortable with what the job would mean. I want to help people, give them freedom, not one oppressor or another.'

'Okay, I get it, and I wont forget the branches I need to set up, and the arc, I'm serious about that, it would actually save money. And don't forget your check, wouldn't want you missing on what you earned.'

Stark grinned, as Skye packed up. 'And seriously, come by anytime, Pepper would love to meet you.'

Skye hugged stark, before turning to leave.

'Bye, J.'

'Goodbye, Miss Skye,' the AI, Jarvis, replied.

The first thing Skye did was go to the nearest car dealership, and bought an old, battered van. She was going on a road trip.

She hated mooching off people. Ever since she left the orphanage, she had been sleeping on the streets, till she met Miles, who had offered her the couch. She was grateful, but she couldn't stand the idea of owing someone, everyone left, and she wasn't going feel guilty for owing them when they left.

So she set her sights, a hundred miles away, and drove, diving for hours and days, till she reached a random town.  
>She would stay for a couple of weeks, part timing as a waitress, or a barista, not wanting to blow Starks money on gas. Then she would move on, touring America, a couple of weeks at a time, meeting people, tasting different foods, and just living, no restrictions.<p>

Skye turned up the music, as she drove. The windows were open, allowing the breeze to fill the van. She looked down at the map, at her side, and grinned. Only 15 miles till her destination for the next fortnight.

New Mexico.

**-Hey, i hope you liked the second chapter, i've suddenly become incredibly paranoid it wont fit with the first chapter, so if you dont like it, please tell me.**

**I have plans for all the avengers except Tasha, shes not really the type for friendly encounters with civilians, so if any of you have any ideas, let me know :)**


	3. Thor

Skye had been in New Mexico for going on 2 weeks. She had been staying in a small, rundown town, and she had just about enough money to reach Phoenix. She had been waitress at a diner on the main street. She loved meeting different people everyday. She chatted with the locals, and enjoyed hearing the conversations of the customers, looking through the window into their lives.

She had everything ready for the road trip, the perfect playlist, the junk food, and even a couple of magazines. She just had to stop off at the local hospital. She was going to donate some blood, a quick and easy way to get $100. She also liked that it meant she was leaving something behind. She could be saving a life with something she wouldn't even miss.

She filled in all the required paperwork, and sat there waiting for the nurse. When she arrived, she held still as she felt the pinch from the needle, looking away from the blood coming out through the tube into the blood bag. When they were all finished up, she was given a juice pouch and a couple of poptarts to raise her blood sugar.

She got paid and stood in the waiting room, stood up against the wall, doing her favorite pastime (other than hacking, of course), people watching. She made up stories about the people she saw. One woman, she decided, was there because her boyfriend was training as a doctor, as she saw she was on firstname basis with most of the staff.

All of a sudden, a large muscular blonde man ran straight into her.

'My apologies, my lady, i did not see you there.'

He seemed posh, might be foreign, She thought. He had an air of sophistication about him, as if he had been raised in a palace.

'Hey, no worries,' she replied, then saw the frown on the mans face, asked, 'dude, are you okay?'

'I am hungry, i haven't eaten in a day. Where might I acquire some of what you're eating?'

'Oh, this? Here, have it, I took a couple extra.'

She gave him a pop tart and watched him eat it, his face changing in surprise once he had tasted it.

'The food here is wonderful,' he exclaimed, 'there is nothing like this where I come from.'

'Oh, you're not from around here? Me neither, I have been traveling around America for the last couple of months, where are you from?'

Skye watched as a sadness filled the mans face, worrying she had said something, she said,

'Hey, I know a great diner just down the street, I could show you some other american food.'

Seeming relieved at the change in the conversation, he nodded.

'My name's Skye, by the way.'

'And I am Thor.'

'Like the god, right,' Skye asked, curious, it was an odd name.

Thor only nodded.

At the dinner, Skye listed some of the diners best options and laughed as Thor ordered all of them.  
>He certainly ate like a god, finishing enough food to feed a small family, in the time it took Skye to finish her pancakes.<p>

Skye talked about the area and the weather and Thor told her storied of adventures he took as a child, when he snuck out of home. He was surprised that someone as young as skye was allowed to travell so far without anyone else, saying if he had been alone for so long, half the country would be in ruins.

They talked for an hour before Thor said he must return to the hospital, that he needed to find something of his. Skye agreed that she had to leave too, if she wanted to make any distance before nightfall.

'It was lovely meeting you, lady Skye, and thank you for showing me all the food this place to offer, my favorite was the pop tart.'

Skye grinned, and said good bye.

As she loaded her computer into the fan, she laughed and shook her head, Thor was such an odd man, she almost wanted to stick aroung to find out who he was.  
>But when she looked in the rear view mirror he was gone. Chuckling, and shaking her head again, she moved her van into shift, before taking the road heading west, to Phoenix, a cloud of dust and sand, billowing in her wake.<p> 


	4. Romanov

Natasha surveyed the rundown bar, calculating possible exits and threats. Even on her night off, she couldn't shake the job. She sighed before pulling up a stool. She motioned to the bartender.

'Give me your strongest Russian vodka, leave the bottle.'

She paid and accepted the slightly dusty bottle from the man. I am getting drunk tonight, she thought. Barton had missed 3 extractions on a mission. He had been declared MIA. It's not like this hadn't happened before, he probably just blacked out in a motel or something. Even so, she was getting drunk, and it was times like this where she hated her high alcohol tolerance. She took a shot, and then another, relishing in the burn down her throat.

Skye hated the 3rd of December. Ever since she was a child. Back then, she would lock herself in her room, and cry and scream at the world. Now, she would drink. Today, was the anniversary of when she was left at the orphanage. They didn't know when she was born, so they used today as her birthday. every year, the nuns would force her to celebrate the worst day of her life.

* * *

><p>Skye walked around New York, searching for a cheap bar, till she found a shabby, hole in the wall. She walked in and straight to bar.<p>

'Hey, can I have a double shot of the strongest alcohol you have.'

The bartender gestured to the woman two seats down, a red-head.

'That would be what she's having. Hey, lady, you mind sharing?' He asked the redhead.

She shrugged, and pulled up a chair. The two women sat there in silence for 5 minutes, before Natasha got curious. She had just watched the woman down 4 straight shots, without so much as a wince.

'What happened? Rough day?'

Skye fiddled with her shot glass, before replying,

'More like, rough 20 years... It's my birthday.'

She said the last words sarcastically, hating the words before they had left her mouth.  
>Natasha nodded, and Skye continued,<p>

'Well, not really, today is the anniversary of the day I was dumped on the doorstep of an orphanage, without so much as a name.'

Tasha felt sorry for the girl. She wished Clint was here though, he would know what to say. She had never been good at comforting.

'What about you? You don't seem like one to drink for the taste.'

Tasha sighed and went with the truth...partially.

'I'm in the army. My partner went on a solo mission, and hasn't come back. He was declared MIA today.'

'Shit I'm sorry, that sucks.'

'Yeah, it does.' Natasha agreed.

They continued to drink, steadily, and Skye began to rant about how fucked up life was, and Natasha couldn't help but agree.

'Today always reminds me of what I could have had, you know, a family, a home, a normal fucking life. It's all one big slap in the face. How do you live with the fact that your own parents gave you away like a piece of trash? It makes me feel worthless.'

Natasha only nodded, unsure what to say. She had felt like that, a million times over, except she wasn't given away, she was taken.

* * *

><p>Tasha tensed, as a few seats down, she heard two men talking.<p>

'The brunette looks ready to go. With what she's been drinking, we won't even have to knock her out.'

The second man chuckled,

'Yeah, but slip some in the redheads drink, she's not even tipsy.'

Tasha's mind was racing. She had to help this woman, she was completely wasted, and it was clear what these men wanted. She watched the men approach them, and as one started to talk to Skye, the other nocked in her, dropping a pill in her drink as he passed. She pretended to drink, as she saw the first man pull Skye out the door. She followed, pretending to sway, as if drowsy. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the second man follow her out. Perfect.

She saw the first man pull Skye down an alley way, and began to hear Skye protest.

'No, get off... Get off me.' She said feebly.

Tasha turned around on the spot, suddenly, and the second man was only a few feet behind her. She ran at him and swung her fist in his face. He groaned, before she jabbed him in the stomach. As the man doubled over, she gave him a hard blow to the back of his head, and he dropped like a weight.

* * *

><p>Skye was terrified. Of one time she got drunk, in the past couple of months, she had to run into this guy. She struggled against the vice grip on her wrists, but he didn't budge. She felt him press himself against her, as he backed her hard against the wall of the alley. Her mind, buzzing from the copious amount of alcohol she had drank, did not register as she saw someone slink up behind the man. She heard a bang as the man dropped to the ground, having just been hit with a metal pipe.<p>

Finally, Skye registered who it was, the redhead from the bar.

'Hey, we should get you home.'

Skye nodded, and pointed to her van that was parked down the road.

'Na uh, you are not staying in there, in your state, I think I saw a hotel down the street.'

She pulled a swaying Skye down the street, and into a hotel, and say her down in the waiting room, and went up to the reception desk.

'Hello, can I have a room for two, deprecate beds, please, for one night? Great, thanks.' She paid and got the key card from the receptionist.

Getting Skye into bed was easier than expected. She just pushed her down and wrapped the covers round her, and she was gone. She moved round to the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and some aspirin, putting it on Skye's bedside table. She smiled briefly, as Skye mumbled in her sleep, something about Iron Man.

Natasha was confused. She didn't do friendly civilian encounters, yet here she was, tucking one in. She chose not to dwell on it, ignoring how relatable she had felt listening to Skye's story, and got into her bed. She shut of the lamp and closed her eyes, easing into sleep, slowly, than all at once.

* * *

><p>When Skye woke, her head was pounding. She didn't know where she was. She looked around her, and saw an empty bed beside her. Was she in a hotel?<p>

She looked at her bedside table and saw water, aspirin and a note.  
>Grabbing the aspirin and water, she soothed thee headache, before picking up the note.<p>

_Hey,_

_Just wanted to meek sure you are okay. I don't know if you remember much of last night but I didn't want to leave you alone in your van. I hope the hangover isn't too bad. Sorry I have to leave, I just heard from my partner, the one who was missing. I hope you have a happier life._  
><em>Tasha, the redhead from the bar.<em>

Suddenly the night before came rushing back to her, the vodka, Tasha's partner...the alleyway...  
>Skye couldn't help but feel grateful the Tasha, a complete stranger.<br>It was then that she promised herself, she would never be helpless again.


	5. Banner

Skye nervously tapped her foot, as she waited for her plane to take off. To say she was used to flying was a huge understatement, the orphanage could hardly afford trips to the theme park, let alone somewhere abroad. It was her first time flying (the irony was lost on her, not knowing in a couple of years she would live on a plane full time.) She hadn't even owned a passport two weeks ago, nothing a quick hack couldn't fix.

So she nervously tapped and sweated and no doubt annoyed her neighbors to no end. But she survived. There was no freak accident, no crash, she safely landed in South America after a few hours. She had spent half of Stark's money on two plane tickets, one to Argentina, and one back, in 3 months time.  
>She had landed in Buenos Aires, the capital city, at Ministro Pistarini International airport.<p>

The center of Buenos Aires looked...well, nice. She had been expecting a rundown, small city, but it wasn't. There were flashing lights and cars and shops and hotels. But as she walked further out of the city, it began to grow older, and more rundown and decayed, until she reached the slums, the city shanty town, which people called a Villa Miserias. On the outskirts of the city, just before you reach the Villa, Skye found a cheap motel, which she rented for 3 nights. She put all her luggage there and went to explore the city.

* * *

><p>Bruce sighed. He had been waiting for his appointment for half an hour. If he didn't get started soon, he would be late for work. He had been working as an electrician for a couple of motels and shops, but it always gave him time for his 'anger management class', really it was more meditation and body conditioning. He had been going here for about 2 months now, and he knew most of the regulars, which was why he was surprised to see the same brunette, come in,10 times over two weeks.<p>

She always rushed in a little late, but was serious about her lessons, he could see her muscles getting more defined everyday. Today was the first time they spoke, he was just turning to leave, knowing he would be late for work if he stayed any longer, when someone crashed into him. He was just about to apologize in broken Spanish, when he heard the women exclaim,

'Shit! I'm so sorry!'

Bruce smiled, giving his hand to the brunette, saying,

'You're American? Me too.'

'Ugh you don't know how nice it is being able to speak to someone in English! I'm sick of looking everything up in a dictionary.'

Bruce chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant.

'Trust me, it gets easier. I'm heading out so bye, sorry for bumping into you.'

He left, looking back to see the brunette greeting her instructor, and indeed, she had an English-Spanish dictionary poking out her bag. Bruce chuckled again as he walked to work.

* * *

><p>Skye let out a frustrated sigh and looked at her English-Spanish dictionary. She had been trying to explain to the motel owner that her shower was broken.<p>

'Mi ducha..es...rota. No.. agua caliente. (My shower...is..broken. No...hot water.)'

'Ah sí, puedo enviar a alguien para arreglarlo hoy. (Ah yes, I can send someone to fix it today.)'

Skye had no clue what the motel owner had just said, but it had seemed like he had finally understood her broken speech. She shrugged and left, heading to her part time job at a cafe.

Skye was annoyed. She had just finished work in a stuffy cafe, with no air con, and some kid had spilt coffee all over her. She wanted a shower, but of course, it was broken, so it would have to be cold. She opened her door and walked in, straight away, she noticed a mans jacket, lying on her bed. She quickly walked into the room, and past the bed.

No one.

Just as she was about to turn around and check the bathroom, someone put their hand on her shoulder, and cleared their throat. Skye reacted on instinct. She reached for the strangers hand, pulled forward, dropping on one knee to give her some advantage in carrying the strangers weight, and flipped the stranger on his back.

She was shocked to see the man from her defense classes.  
>He let out a mix between a chuckle and a groan.<p>

'Good to see the lessons aren't going to waste. That was some neat trick.'

Skye narrowed her eyes.

'Why are you here? Who let you in?'

'I'm here to fix the shower, the owner let me in,' he gasped.

Skye relaxed and helped pull the man up.

'I'm Bruce by the way.'

'Skye.'

They chatted to each other while he fixed the shower, about the things they missed about America, and what they didn't. Bruce told Skye about other countries, when Skye told her this was her first time abroad.

'If you don't mind me asking, why are you taking a self defense class? You seem pretty serious about it.'

Skye sighed, but knew she could talk with Bruce, he was nice.

'A couple of months ago, I got really drunk, and some guy tried to take me into an alleyway and...well you know.. Anyway, this woman I met at the bar saw him, and beat the crap out of him. She was so nice, got me a hotel and looked after me, I promised myself, I would never be defenseless, I would help others like she helped me.' Skye smiled.

Bruce nodded, surprised how she had twisted a horrible situation and made it motivate her.

'What about you, with the anger management. '

'Err well the last time I was in America, I had some issues with rage, I don't want to hurt anyone, so I'm controlling it, I don't like the person it makes me.'

Bruce felt good talking about it, even if it was only half truths.

* * *

><p>Skye and Bruce became good friends over the next few weeks, meeting up for coffee some days, talking, enjoying the lack of the language barrier. On her last day, Skye gave Bruce a hug.<p>

'If you're ever in America, look me up, we can catch up and talk, I'll miss you.'

Bruce took her to the airport, hugging her again before she boarded her plane. She wasn't as nervous this time, Bruce had taught her some things to calm her down, if she was ever angry or nervous.

She remembered what he said now, deep breathing, in and out, inhale, exhale, a cycle, Skye closed her eyes once she reached her seat. Concentrating on her breathing, she let everything else fall away. When she opened her eyes again, she was in American airspace once again.

**Hey guys, i'm not so sure about this chapter, tell me what you think, if it sucks, i'll rewrite it a different way. send a review with your view :)**


	6. Rogers

Steve pounded at the punching bag, memories of before the fall consuming him, whipping him up in a frenzy. He saw the soldiers, the fighting, the ice, Peggy... All of a sudden, images of Bucky filled his mind, him falling, spiraling down. Words reverted around his brain, over and over.

'I'm with you till the end of the line, pal.'

Steve finally let out a cry, slamming his fists in the punching bag, taking deep ragged breaths, as the bag flew across the room. The breath caught in his throat, and felt like he was chocking. He couldn't breathe. He hadn't had a panic attack for years, not after his transformation, but ever since he had woken up, he had been having them more and more frequently.

He needed air. He grabbed his phone, something he had barely touched since it was given to him by Fury. He hadn't been called on mission yet, and he was grateful, but he always kept it with him. He put on a jacket, and strode out the door, walking without a destination, just letting each step he took soothe him, like he was walking further away from the memories.

'Ugh get away from me you dick, why does this always happen to me?! Leave me alone!'

Steve heard a woman shouting, near the entrance of an alleyway. Steve sprung into action, running to the alleyway, to see a man pushing a short brunette against a wall, a knife pressed to her side.

'Give me your god damn money, or I swear I will kill you right here!' The man growled at her.

They two people hadn't noticed Steve yet, and just as he whipped out his own knife from a hidden sheath, he realized he didn't need to help.  
>The woman grabbed the knife wielding arm, twisted it, hard, till the man dropped the knife, and slammed her knee into his gut. The man doubled over, and the woman dug her elbow in the base of his neck. He stumbled to the ground, but as he began to struggle to his feet, the woman slammed her fist into his nose, knocking him out as he slumped to the floor.<p>

'Wow,' Steve muttered to himself, almost unconsciously.

* * *

><p>Skye heard someone let out a, 'Wow,' almost a whisper, she spun around, and warily looked at the other person in the alleyway. He was a large, muscled and handsome blonde, wearing sweats and a tight T-shirt.<p>

He was also wielding a sharp knife.

Skye backed away slowly, cautiously, not taking her eyes of the man.

'What do you want?' Skye asked, straight to the point.

'I heard you shout, I came to help, but I guess you didn't need it. Are you okay?' He asked, concerned.

Skye paused, not sure if she should believe the knife wielding stranger.

'I'm fine.'

'You must be going into shock, I saw a diner back there, let me get you something to eat and drink.'

Skye stared at him, in disbelief.

'You want me to go with you, a complete stranger with a knife?'

Steve looked down at his hands, almost surprised that it was still there, he seemed to have forgotten about it.

'Crap, I'm sorry for scaring you, I was gonna help you, I swear.'

'Yeah, because all the good guys carry switch blades,' she rolled her eyes.

'I was in the army, I recently got decommissioned after my plane went down in Europe, they said PTSD. I haven't gotten used to the civilian lifestyle yet. Here..'  
>The man placed the knife on the ground, and gently kicked it over to Skye.<p>

She crouched, picked it up and slipped it into her pocket, she suddenly smiled,

'You're buying soldier!'

'Its Steve.'

'Skye.'

* * *

><p>At the diner, Skye ordered waffles, and a coffee. Steve ordered a water, still not accustomed to how food had changed over 70 years.<p>

'I hate New York. Every time I'm here, there's some creep down an alley waiting for me.'

'Is that why you learned to fight? Those were some good moves.'

Skye nodded.

'Yeah, someone came and helped last time, and I promised I would learn to protect myself. I went to Argentina, took some classes, and here I am. What about you? Why did you join the army?'

Steve smiled, 'My brother joined, someone had to save his ass.' His smile fell, replaced with sorrow. 'He, uhh, he died, I couldn't do anything.'

Skye grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze,

'Hey, it's not your fault, think of all the times you protected him, and he protected you, you can't blame yourself, I'm sure you did everything you could.'

Steve gave her a small smile.

'Whats it like, having a brother? Remember the good things, not how it ended.'

'Well, he wasn't really my brother, but we grew up together. He was the best, he would always...'

Steve talked about his brother, for what felt like hours, feeling the release from the pain he was keeping in, and Skye began to tell him about Argentina, and her trip around America. The talked till the diner closed, and they parted, Steve feeling the release from Bucky's death, and Skye not hating New York so much, after being shown there were still some good guys there.

She walked back to her van, and as she fished in her pockets for her keys, she felt something cool there, she pulled it out, and realized it was Steve's knife. It looked old, but in good condition, like it was cared for. Carved into the handle of the blade was a set of initials.

P.C

Must be some family heirloom, Skye thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Guys, a lot of you have asked if i would write some post-avengers chapters, when Skye meets all of them again. don't worry, that is all part of the plan, there should be at least another 2 or three chapters, maybe more if i come up with ideas. so now that shes met all of them, shes gonna find out who they really are ;) (oh and if it wasn't too obvious, theknife belonged to peggy, who gave it to steve, but skye has it now.) send a review of any ideas or comments, and always happy to hear criticism, i hope you like it xx<strong>


	7. Times she almost told the team

Skye was watching the news, just like every other American, glued to their screens, as they watched Aliens attack New York. Skye had left New York, 4 months ago, and she was glad she did. Aliens? Really, what's next? Superher- OH. SHIT.

Skye stared at her screen, in absolute shock. She had never forgotten a face, and right now she saw 5 familiar ones.  
>Of course she had known Stark was Iron Man, who didn't? He wasn't exactly subtle. But that didn't prepare her for the other faces she saw.<p>

Clint? No wonder he was that good at darts, the cheat. And that guy... Skye swore she had met him in New Mexico, she shared a pop tart with him! Thor, she thought...like the...god. It suddenly dawned on her. A God?! And the guy in the Stars and Stripes, that was Steve! She had met him only 4 months ago. And...Tasha?! She was in a tight cat suit, and she was rocking it. Skye was confused, hell, she was down right mind blown. Just as she tried to comprehend what was happening, she saw on her screen a guy on a motorbike greet the group of heroes. Skye zoomed into the guys face, and-

'ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?' 

* * *

><p>'Of course you would be covering up centipede.'<p>

Mr government tool bag stepped back and scratched his head, mouthing to the older agent,

'What's centipede?' Behind his hand.

Skye grinned, saying, 'Holy- no way. You don't know what that is,' incredulously.

'Billions of dollars at your disposal, and I beat you in a laptop that I won in a bet?!'

Skye didn't mention that she didn't really win the bet, they already didn't trust her. Why would they believe Hawkeye gave her a laptop?

* * *

><p>'He's just, so amazing, he's cool, and funny, and rich, he's brilliant, he always gets the girl, he's.. He's fantastic!'<p>

Skye tried to hide her giggle, as she watched Fitz fawn over Tony Stark's image on the television. Fitz was completely in awe of him, Skye wouldn't be surprised if he had a shrine for Stark in his bedroom.

'Ya know, Skye, I bet he's even a better hacker than you, no offence an' all, you just wouldn't stand a chance.'

Skye didn't tell Fitz that she could out-hack him at the age of nineteen..drunk. she didn't want to ruin Fitz' idol for him, it was nice to see him enjoying something other than down in the lab.

'Yeah, you're probably right,' she lied, 'he's a genius.'

Fitz smiled smugly, and continued to chatter about the mechanics of the Iron Man suit, oblivious that half of what he was saying went straight over Skye's head.

* * *

><p>'I wouldn't mind getting my human hands on Thor, he's so dreamy,' Skye said, starting to glaze over.<p>

'Sure, he's handsome, bu-' Coulson said before May interjects,

'No. He's dreamy.'

Skye was about to say how he was so much hotter in person, but she stopped, seeing Ward behind her, looking insanely jealous. She wasn't oblivious. She knew Ward had been crushing on her. She decided not to say anything, not wanting to cause friction between her and her S.O.

She just shrugged, and continued following May around with a box of alien artefacts. A small smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Skye watched as May punched and punched. It had been days since she had touched the staff, and she had been so tightly wound, letting no emotion show, even more that usual. Skye was worried, at some point, May was going to explode.<p>

She sat at the top of the stairs, looking down at May in the hanger. It was 3 in the morning, she had heard May walk past her door, that in itself was odd. Usually, May was silent, a ninja, but May was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice her, or silence her steps. She just kept pounding away. Tears started to roll down her face as she punched, her knuckles bruising, then splitting and starting to bleed.

Finally, when it all came to much, she collapsed to the floor, and started to moan, muttering, Skye caught the word 'Bahrain,' midst the wild groans. Skye ran to May, and pulled her up. She shouted to get her attention, pulling her away from the memory.

'Skye?'

'May, it's me, it's fine. Just breathe, copy me.' Skye took deep breaths, relieved when May started to copy.

'Its okay, it's alright, what ever it is, it's fine.'

May started sobbing again, and Skye pulled Mays hands to her chest.

'Hey, just feel the beat of my heart, just feel it, block everything else out, it's all there is. This is real, you and me, right now, not what the staff makes you remember.'

Skye sat with May for half an hour, just breathing, inhale, exhale, until May had calmed down. Skye didn't tell May who had taught her to deal with anger and panic attacks. She knew May preferred the quiet, this wasn't about her.

They sat there till morning, Skye gently holding May, the one time she let her walls down.

* * *

><p>The team finally had a day off. They were stranded in the middle of nowhere. FitzSimmons were in the lab, and May and Ward were sparing. Skye was still recovering from Quinn's two GSW's, so she wasn't allowed to move much, so Coulson was showing her all his Captain America memorabilia.<p>

'And this is the original 1918 Howling Commandos action figure collection, they are all near mint.'

Skye smiled, before noticing the sad look on Coulson's face.

'You know, I met them, the avengers, I was called in as their handler before New York, that was how I died. Steve Rogers was everything I imagined he would be. The documentaries don't really show you what he was like as a person. He was so kind, and he listened, and got to know me. He cared for all those people during the battle. He is a true hero.'

Skye doesn't tell him that she already knows what he was like. She can see the pain in his eyes, not being able to see them. She doesn't want him to hurt any longer. Instead she asks,

'Are any of the Howling Commandos still alive?'

He seemed grateful at the change in conversation.

* * *

><p>'He's evil. He's a monster and will never change. Look at what he did to Fitz! He doesn't deserve to live for what he did.'<p>

Simmons broke down crying, over Fitz' still body. Skye walked to Simmons and hugged her. She didn't know what to say.

She couldn't say that Ward could be forgiven. She couldn't say that people could be redeemeded, that after all she did, even the black widow had compassion for a drunk woman in an alleyway. Coulson had made her read through all the files that were released at the triskillion. She had read all of Natasha Romanov's. She knew all she had done yet she still helped people, became a hero, an avenger. She didn't tell Simmons this, that after everything, she was forgiven.

She didn't say any of that, because Simmons didn't want to know that if she could, Ward could also be redeemed, not with Fitz just lying there. She settled for just clinging to Simmons, holding her tight as her body shook with sobs.

* * *

><p>She didn't mention the avengers.<p>

Not once.

She should have seen it coming though.

The day the Avengers got a message from the new director.

The day the Avengers received a set of co-ordinates...

**Next chapter, skye runs into the avengers, so yeah, thats happening, send a review of what you think xx**


	8. They meet again

**So just a run through of when each chapter happened.**

**Chapter 1 (Clint) : Before all the avengers franchise, Skye is 16.**  
><strong>Chapter 2 (Stark) : before Iron Man, a couple of months before, Skye is 19.<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 3 (Thor) : Skye has just turned 20, takes place during Thor, while he is taken to the hospital, Skye leaves before the other asguardians come to earth.<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 4 (Natasha) : Skye is still 22, almost 23.<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 5 (Bruce) : After Incredible Hulk, Skye is 23.<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 6 (Steve) : Skye is 24, after captain America, 4 months before the avengers.<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 7:<strong>  
><strong>Part 1 is during the battle of New York<strong>  
><strong>You all know about Agents of shield timeline, part 2, the bit about Clint and the laptop is episode 1, in her interrogation,<strong>  
><strong>part 3, where Fitz is fangirling over Stark is somewhere between episode 2-7.<strong>  
><strong>Part 4 when talking about Thor is episode 8, when they are clearing up the mess left from the Elves ship.<strong>  
><strong>Part 5, when Skye is helping May control her anger is a few weeks after episode 8 with the berserker staff.<strong>  
><strong>Part 6, with the cap America memorabilia is after Skye is shot, somewhere between ep 15 (yes men) and ep 16, where Skye is up and moving, when she gets given her badge.<strong>  
><strong>Part 7, when Simmons is hating on Ward, is post season 1, before Fitz wakes up.<strong>  
><strong>And Part 8, is my own spin on what would happen in season 2, before Skye runs into the avengers again.<strong>

* * *

><p>All 6 of the avengers tensely stood around a holo table, and stared at the screen. They had just received an unsigned direct message.<p>

'What are they?' Steve finally asked.

'Co-ordinates.' Clint replied.

'I know that, where do they lead, who are they from?'

'The middle of nowhere. And I don't know, hydra, maybe shield,' Tony ignored the glare from Steve, 'or some other third party. Who ever it is, they're good, I can't trace the connection, neither can Jarvis.'

'So it's a trap.' Thor stated.

'Most likely, either that or they don't want others tapping in to the connection.'

'Stark, run a check on the area, see if you can find any buildings there. Any info on the site could be vital,' Steve practically ordered.

Bruce was the only one who didn't say anything, observing from the edge of the group.

After a few minutes, Jarvis' automated voice spoke.

'Scanning complete Sir. Records show that 15 years ago, there was some construction. It was privately funded, and they broke the ground, but nothing was ever built.'

'So underground base.'

'My thoughts exactly, Miss Romanov. I also looked at the nearest electrical grid. It shows that a large amount is being sent to this point, there are no traces of who is paying for it.'

'I say we fly there, go covert, sneak in and scope the place out. If it's shield, we'll have a talk with Nicky, if it's hydra or someone else, we take them out.' Stark provided.

'Can you even do covert Stark?'

'Shut up Spangles.'

* * *

><p>Alarm bells suddenly rang out, screaming into the night.<p>

'Stark! I thought you turned them off!' Was shouted through everyone's comms.

'I tried, I couldn't hack into it, I even ran through Jarvis, they are good. The system lead me through a hoax, made it look like they were turned off.' Stark quickly replied.

'So much for covert. I don't remember hydra being this well protected. This must be something big.' Steve replied.

* * *

><p>The team was suddenly thrown awake, by a blaring alarm, sending everyone running out of their respective rooms. They all met in the command room, in hastily thrown on battle gear.<p>

'Skye! Check the cameras, see what we are up against.'

Skye started typing, before she responded, 'Sir, they've taken out the visual, it will take too long to being them back up, we have to go in blind.'

'Can you still see where they are?' Coulson asked.

'I can see about 6 or 7 heat signatures down corridor E.'

'Okay, it's a small unit, probably specially trained, centipede or other super powers. We need to get the big guns. Skye, protocol Lock Down, bring them to us.'

* * *

><p>From behind the group, a wall slammed down, blocking the way they had just came. Ahead of them, corridors began closing up, leaving one direction.<p>

'They're herding us. We are going right where they want,' Natasha shouted, annoyed.

'Do you see any other way out of this. We meet them head on. Guns blazing, it's what we do best after all.' Clint responded, jogging forward with the rest of the group. Natasha followed.

They reached the end of the corridor, and turned the corner, greeted buy a dozen guns pointed at them.  
>Someone sent a warning shot, and the Avengers dived back around the corner.<p>

'Are you hydra?' Steve shouted behind the wall.

'Are you?!' Skye blurted out before anyone could respond.

'We are with shield,' Coulson calmly corrected. 'Are you hydra?'

'Shield has fallen, I know, I was there. Who are you really?'

'Wait, Steve? Captain America?'

Steve slowly poked his head around the corner.

'Coulson?!'

* * *

><p>Skye stifled a giggle as she saw Steve's eyes bug out at Coulson.<br>At Steve's exclamation, the rest of the team followed around the corner, as shocked as Steve.

'You- you're alive?'

'What is the meaning of this, Phillip son-of-Coul?' Thor asked.

Natasha strode up to Coulson and slapped him, hard.

'We mourned for you, we went to your funeral, you bastard.'

Coulson looked so sad, that Skye was angered.

'Hey! Give him a break Tasha. He died, for real. He had people do things so horrible they had to erase his memory, so yes, you mourned, but it's nothing on what he went through.'

Skye's little outburst brought the whole of the avengers attention on her.

'Skye?!' Half of them asked incredulously, the other half only stared, in shock.

Coulson looked at Skye in confusion.

'Oh crap, I forgot. I kinda know them...

Now everyone looked confused.

'Woah, Skye, wait, you know all the avengers? Simmons asked, astonished.

'Um, why is everyone calling you Skye, I thought your name was Mary Sue?'

Skye groaned, 'Ugh please Clint, don't call me that, the nuns at the orphanage gave me that awful name,  
>It's Skye now.'<p>

Fitz burst out laughing. 'Mary Sue?! And you teased me about Leo, oh you are so gunna regret that.'

Skye went bright red.

Trip finally spoke up. 'Man, you have tell us how you know them, that's gotta be one hell of a story.'

Skye laughed. 'Well, it all started at the orphanage, on Christmas Da-'

'No! Wait, they've got to go through orientation!' Billy exclaimed.

The room filled with groans.

* * *

><p>Skye told everyone her story, each avenger filling in bits of their points of view as she went, while her team sat in disbelief.<p>

'So Clint gave you the laptop which you hacked shield with?'  
>'You did what?!' Clint exclaimed.<p>

'Wait, you are telling us, that you hacked into stark industries, drunk?'  
>Fitz asked in disbelief.<p>

'Who's the better hacker now, huh,' Skye teased.

...

Simmons giggled at the part with the pop tarts, and Tony groaned, saying 'You are the reason I have to buy ten boxes of pop tarts a week?'

...

They were all subdued as Skye told the story of meeting Tasha, before they turned to anger as that story ended. 'Oh I swear, if I knew who they were!' Coulson exclaimed, protective of Skye.

...

Everyone was surprised to see the closeness of Bruce and Skye, as he was usually shy, while they talked about Argentina.

And Skye quickly ran to her room at the end of Steve's story, and returned with his knife.

'That belonged to Peggy. You should keep it, especially if you are now a team agent.'

'Speaking of,' Tony interrupted, 'you gotta tell us how that happened.'

Skye launched into her story once again, and by the end, the avengers were as surprised as her team were.

'Wow, I guess it is a small world after all.'

**THE END**

**So, guys, i guess that's it, i wasn't to sure bout this chapter, and i restarted it like 4 times, but, it is what it is.**

**if you wanna see more skye/avengers read one of my other fics. i wish i could continue this, but i feel its run its course, and the good news is i can start another fic (i have a rule to only have 3 ongoing fics at one time or its too much) so if you have any ideas you want to run by me for a new fic, just send a review or a direct message. i hope you have enjoyed reading 'Its a small World' xx**


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